Ink Washes

Been doing some ink drawings in both my life drawing classes. I'm not sure how impressive it is but so far I like it a bunch. Here's some washes.

I think this one above is my favorite. So much information is implied rather than spelled-out.

This is a long piece of paper that can now be used a a folder! Yay!

Back to the grindstone tomorrow. I'll be making a bunch of panels for figure painting and a possible show at the beginning of next semester.

Frankly, My Dear:

I know I've been bad on blogging. Here, have a squirrel.

The most recent homework for Advanced Life drawing. Behold, my saggy belly!

While I could have handled the most recent assignment clothed, it was my decision to take off my shirt and sit with really bad posture for over an hour. I got some very nice compliments on my saggy belly. And most everyone reassured me that it was totally normal to have a belly. Very considerate, but I was making fun of the fact that a slightly Rubenesque torso without a head on looks a bit like a pouty face. A slightly happy Droopy Dog, perhaps.

So this is spring break. Fantastic! Homework, in ridiculous quantity. Maybe I'll update, maybe I won't. I have two books to build and a third to do transfers with.
Yeehaw.

And of course, Life Drawing and Figure Painting ALSO have homework.

Hope For the Future

Stage 1 of a 5 day painting. Four sessions to go. I have depicted one model's whole torso, and the legs and arm of another. As I go I will begin to use actual (gasp!) color and insert a semi-believable background.

Turned in a painting of my feet today that I kind of realized was a pretty good attempt for a rush job on homework. Actually looking forward to working some more on the above painting. My teacher seems to want to put in the easels, but I am loathe to do something that seems so apathetic. The female seated model is the same as the one in this entry here. I think I'm getting very used to her face shape.

An in-progress homework assignment for Intermediate Life Drawing. I am sick of drawing myself, henceforth I irritated my fiance into sitting for me. Took about an hour and a half- doesn't quite look right to me.

And I have a hopefully trouble-free weekend ahead of me. Hurrah!

Down it comes.

A good drawing from this morning. Sometime soon (probably spring break) I promise to post scans of the drawings I've done in my standard life drawing course. They've been occasionally interesting and quite different, but so far my energy in the late afternoon has been non-existent. I haven't even thought of reaching for my camera.

Jill was a big help with the spackle and take-down today. I'm the one in the dorky apron, looking like my Father.

Seems like only yesterday we were frantically putting things in place to be hung for the show. Now it's down and I must go in tomorrow to verify that yes, all holes covered and painted in the proper gallery white color. I've cut my teeth on SJSU's gallery system and I'm outright terrified that I'll get the urge to do it again. It's like having a child- as soon as the actual birth is over, you forget the pain and magnificent oopsies and start on the road to having more children. Artbabies. Whatever.

Well, seems it was actually a week. Whoa.

Now on to clean my living room. *faint*

Yikes!

I've gotten a bit behind on posting, but with good reason, I insist. Homework has eaten most of what remains of my life (if an internet presence can be referred to as such) and I've been working my tail off to keep my head above water.

This image-heavy post is more or less in chronological order.

A good morning session in intermediate life drawing yielded some very satisfying results.

I'm not getting much in the way of straight instruction from this class, just mostly a LOT of practice. Which also helps.

This is from Figure Painting, of course. I like this short pose painting better than the others that came out of the longer pose. I think tomorrow I will move my easel.

My Mother has always been very understanding of my artwork. Well, perhaps not understanding, but at least abiding. I think she looks forward to the day I have a figurative show instead of an abstract one.

Note to self- Do not supply extravagant or "dinnerlike" food to gallery openings. People vanish with your pizza slices without even stepping inside the show's room, much less thanking you. Mom swung to the rescue with a bunch of burgers from Burger King, which also thankfully disappeared. I didn't know she was off to buy probably $20 worth of food, but she did and appeared with a grin and burgers.

Do those Burger king chicken pieces look like exaggerated chicken feet instead of crowns? It does to me. Thanks, leftover parts of chicken..

Printmaking Show sign-up went up. Organizing this is going to be a little bit of fun & complications. Of course, in order to obtain a gallery, I have to get up at 5am (or earlier) to go to school and stand in line for gallery sign-up. And pay $15 deposit. I will soon be an awesomely known person in the art building, perhaps.

In History 1B we discussed how Christopher Columbus believed that by finding a route around to the other side of Asia, the forces of Christianity would have a back-door by which to attack and overtake the Turkish Empire occupying Jerusalem. Not to mention the sweet trade route that going direct to China would provide. Also, scientists already knew the diameter of the Earth, so if America hadn't been in the way, Columbus and his crew would have starved on ship on their way to Asia. Columbus, I have concluded, was kind of an ass.

Bookmaking class was all about combining signatures to make a case-bound (or hardbound) book.

It helps to build a mock-up of your book project. I built this at 1/3 size. The final book will be a little larger than 9"x 9". The signatures are not stitched, but labeled and folded together so I can see how the pages will wrap. This helps a ton in planning things out.

Here is the edge of my mock-up. There are 18 sheets of paper, two per signature, for a total of 36 leaves. All this translates to 72 pages. A huge book, especially since the final paper will be heavy.

First, the signatures are punctured and stitched, then they are sewn together using binding tape, which can be ordinary linen or the specialized and more expensive stuff. Then you put them in a vise, and glue the signatures together, while it is held in a vise. I can't stress enough how much the glue smells.

The tape going under the signature stitching. The tape will be firmly attached to the Cover boards. I'll get pictures of that Monday.

I love bookmaking. It is the fusion of crafts and art that I love to sink my teeth into.

Oh, and yesterday, I did do some drawing in Life Drawing, but our model had no muscles or skin. The things I drew in Intermediate Life drawing yesterday I will post tomorrow.

Drawing and painting from models all day is a case of serious Awesome.

Deep, Deep Pockets.

This is called a levigator. Though that sounds like a Star Trek ship name, it's really just a 25lb piece of Iron with a revolving handle.

You spin the levigator after putting gritty metal sand on the limestone with some water, and it slides unbelievably easy. This helps to remove the former image on the stone, along with a thickness of stone about the thickness of a playing card. A lot of people find it really hard to do this evenly.
Care must be taken not to let the slurry stuff dry- because it becomes concrete, or near enough.

After rinsing, it is dried quickly. The feeling of the surface is almost identical to chalkboard. It is also hilariously grease-sensitive. If a fingerprint gets on the surface as it's being prepared, it can set into the drawing.

Classes Today:

1. Intermediate Life Drawing: 8:00-10:50
2. Figure Painting: 12:00-14:50
3. Life Drawing: 15:00-18:20

1. Intermediate Life Drawing: This is definitely a class I can add. Of a roster of 24 people, only about 16 showed up. To the credit of the absent students, it is eight in the morning. I know a couple people in the class rather well. Unfortunately, at this hour of the morning, if Chiarito chooses to show us slides and turn out the lights, I'm going to need a big cup of tea. The structure of the class seems rather loose- almost as though he'd rather pat us on the back than give a grade.

2. I was happy to see that there weren't many students in this class. I prefer painting without having to step over other people. However, she did warn that we needed to have Intermediate Painting before her class. D'oh! I'm pretty sure I'll be fine unless she chooses to go by-the-book.
A bit disappointed that there seems to be one of those ladies who must share every thought with the class. That's usually my job.

3. Back in Lucy Sargent's class again. She's a ton of fun and I'm really going to want to talk to her a lot. Must censor myself so I'm not being a complete kiss-ass. My friend Andreas is in the class with me as open university. It costs about $600 per 3 units. I have to somehow find a 14x17 sketchbook by next Tuesday.

And in case you're wondering what the information on Litho Stone Grinding at top has to do with anything- the answer is not much. I simply had two hours between classes, since each class only required about an hour of talking.

Well, this is my weekend. I'll likely not post on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, ever. I'm sleeping.